Talk:My Hero/@comment-26466087-20140623034247
Even though no one really asked...Here is a basic Dally Winston appreciation post. :D Though he's first perceived as a brutal person lacking humanity, there's more than meets the eye. On the surface, he appears cold as ice and hard as stone. Despite what Dallas seems, he's so much more. He's not just your regular asshole teenager with a bad home life. There's a reason for his personality. He grew up a criminal his entire life. He was shunned from the love and affection of people. Instead, he was widely treated with hate, which turned him into a blunt and hateful human being in return. By the time he finished grade school, he had already been in jail. That speaks volumes about the harshness of his reality. He also felt the need to brag about his arrests. Why? Because without always getting into trouble, who would he even be as a person? Sadly, it is one of the things that just makes him the way he is. It's terrible to have those things shape you as a person until you forget who you used to be or- even worse- who you never were. He rebels without a care because he's used to it. He deals with being treated like shit by everyone because of his reputation and always getting into the worst trouble, regardless of if he's done anything to deserve it. He's had to rely on himself and the gang to get through life. I know without the gang, he would've died much sooner than he already did. Through life, he learned to not let anyone push him around or tell him what to do. Not the best way of dealing with things, and it certainly didn't work out well for him in the end, but it was his way. It helped him cope. Beyond the hard, steel-coating of Dally Winston, there's so much depth and character to him. As I've explained, he already was forced to face reality's harshness at a very young age, but I haven't talked about the loving, caring part of Dally that is rarely exposed because he maintains his reputation as much as possible. Once you take off all of the armor, you start to realize that Dallas Winston is a sensitive and loyal human being. He sticks up for his friends so much. Even though he'll clobber someone if they even do so much as to say something when he's pissed, he does care. He rescued Johnny and Ponyboy from a church fire, knowing that he was putting himself in danger. He also helped them run away and return. He's a good listener and considers the needs of others, but he denies it as much as he can. You can also tell he loves Cherry. They cannot be together because Dally's a greaser and Cherry's a Soc, but it shows that his feelings for her are there, as hers do too. He didn't just hit on her because she was a random girl he wanted to annoy. It was out of his own feelings. Otherwise he would've picked any girl, like a greaser girl that he'd be safer with. He took a risk even befriending her and asking her out. You can tell he valued the few friendships that he had. Especially with the gang and specifically Johnny Cade. Johnny was the brother he never had. When Johnny died, Dally died soon after. A large reason was because he was having such a hard time grieving and coping with the loss of his dear friend. He was pushed over edge and went too far. So there you have it. A bad kid who really isn't so bad after all, but yet instead shaped by the world's cruelness and horrible people who dies at a young age because of the terrifying life he lived. His complexity as a person and character makes him so intriguing and draws me to him. He's my second favorite character (just barely tying Soda for number one) of The Outsiders, and I will never love many characters the way I love and feel for him. Goodnight, ladies, gentleman, and anyone else. That's all. I apologize for my lack of coherency and me being a bit repetitive at points in this essay. It's all from sleep deprivation and drowsiness. With that being said, remember to drive safely and eat a well balanced breakfast tomorrow morning!